The importance of command and control centres in Saudi Arabia
Eve Goode
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Due to the rapid urbanisation and complex security challenges that Saudi Arabia face, increasing the command and control infrastructure is becoming critical.
Sharang Gupta, Director, PwC Middle East highlighted the importance of command and control centres (CCC’s) for public safety in Saudi Arabia at Intersec Saudi Arabia in October.
Gupta claims the CCC’s are set to redefine how security operations are managed across the region.
PwC Global CCC Index
Gupta’s session ‘PwC Global CCC Index: Identifying the Pioneers in Command & Control Centres’ took place on the opening day of Intersec as part of the Future Security and Safety Summit.
Throughout his session, Gupta outlined how cities are addressing their operations and security requirements by having function-specific CCCs.
Gupta had conducted research and found that over 300 smart cities across the world use CCCs for urban management and emergency response.
Over 70% of large cities are employing them for CCTV monitoring with facial recognition.
This is to aid law enforcement in more than 20 countries.
Border security
Border security CCCs in the US and India have seen a significant reduction in smuggling.
In the US and India, Border Security CCCs have significantly reduced smuggling, while critical and national infrastructure (CNI) CCCs with real-time threat detection can reduce operational downtime by 60% to prevent incidents like power outages.
Transforming CCCs
The CCC Maturity Index, developed by PwC Middle East, guides transformation across three levels:
- Traditional (foundational monitoring)
- Advanced (predictive operations with real-time data)
- Moonshot (automated strategy from real-time data analysis).
The index identifies strengths and weaknesses by evaluating governance, operations and technology, allowing users to see improvements, resource optimisation and enhanced cross-domain collaboration.
“Addressing the unique challenges faced by Saudi Arabia”
Riham Sedik, Show Manager of Intersec Saudi Arabia, Messe Frankfurt Middle East stated: “Intersec Saudi Arabia has underscored its position as a premier hub for the region’s security, fire and emergency service leaders to converge and shape the future of their respective industries.
“This year’s Future Security and Safety Summit has highlighted the innovative solutions and collaborative strategies that are driving the security sector forward, addressing the unique challenges faced by Saudi Arabia and the wider region.”
Bilal Al Barmawi, CEO and Founder, 1st Arabia Trade Shows & Conferences said: “We have seen incredible interest in Intersec Saudi Arabia during the first two days, with the conferences showcasing experts from around the world.
“[…] While the show floor has been buzzing with deals and discussions on the trends currently impacting the fire, safety and security industries.”
